Government signs a pact with ASCI to check misleading ads of Ayurvedic medicines

The plan is to monitor misleading advertisements appearing in the print and on TVSushmi Dey | TNN | March 25, 2017, 15:15 IST

With an aim to safeguard consumers and promote safe AYUSH drugs, the government has signed a pact with the Advertising Standards Council of India to check misleading advertisements of Ayurvedic medicines, Minister of State for Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy Shripad Naik told Lok Sabha today.

"The Ministry of Ayush has signed a MoU with the Advertising Standards Council of India to undertake monitoring of misleading advertisements appearing in the print and TV media and bring the defaulters to the notice of the central government and the state regulators for taking necessary action," Naik said during Question Hour.

Naik said grant-in-aid is provided to the state and union territories under the Ayush mission for augmenting quality control activities for such drugs, including strengthening of pharmacies, drug testing laboratories, enforcement framework and testing of drugs.

"Financial support has been provided to 46 state pharmacies, 27 state drug testing laboratories and 30 state licensing authorities for improving their infrastructural and functional capacities for manufacturing, testing and enforcement of the provisions related Ayurvedic, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathic (ASU&H) drugs," he said.

The Minister said two central laboratories - Pharmacopoeial Laboratory of Indian medicine and Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeial Laboratory, are established and notified as appellate laboratories under the provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945.

"27 state drug testing laboratories in public sector and 44 laboratories approved under the provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 are in place for quality testing of ASU&H drugs and raw materials," he said.